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DeviousDani
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12 Oct 2013, 8:26 pm

Raziel wrote:
DeviousDani wrote:
Raziel wrote:
DeviousDani wrote:
beneficii wrote:
DeviousDani wrote:
Does anyone else have a conjunction of Aspergers/Autism and mental illness?

Does anyone have Aspergers/Autism and Bipolar?
If so how does this affect you?

My mood swings are bad and I have depressive and manic episodes ( I am going to be assessed soon)


Tell me about your manic episodes.


One bad one was when it was my 2 year anniversary with my boyfriend and he planned a really romantic night for me, candles, flowers, dinner, massages. I was really in the mood but all of a sudden I changed, I was acting extremely silly and everything was funny, I couldn't stop laughing for no reason, I didn't want this to happen, I felt so guilty after... Even when we were starting to "get busy" and he was doing me a favour, I just laughed, I laughed to the point I was in tears.
My episodes last an hour to 1-2 days, they are short, if I have bipolar I think it's rapid cycling. My mother has bipolar too so that adds to the probability.
I had a mixed episode where I was laughing and crying, I switched between the 2 every 10 minutes for about 2 hours for no reason, it happened after watching tv.
I am fine most of the time but then sometimes I will just get a depressive mood and I get suicidal (I don't self harm anymore I stopped that a year and a half ago).
I am not depressed because I am extremely optimistic most of the time.
When I get angry it feels as though I am out of control, but I am the most easy going and peaceful person anyone could meet, but I want to hurt people when I get angry.
I have most of the symptoms of the highs and lows of bipolar however I don't spend money, but I don't have a lot of money to spend I'm at school and don't work.
The manic episode feels like I am invincible, so happy, like I can do anything, I act so stupid and say things I wouldn't normally say.


For me it sounds more like moodinstability. Not all moodswings are necesserely Bipolar and problems regulating emotions is a common problem in ASD. If a person with problems regulating emotions also has a lot of stress of example this can leed to severe up and down without necesserely having bipolar.
I would go to an expert that she/he looks into it and finds out the reason for you mood, but your post didn't sounded much Bipolar to me. Just a personal impression.


Perhaps, but there is a high chance I do have it as my parent has it and my symptoms are just like hers. I believe Bipolar does not fully develop until you are older, an adult, I am 17, teenagers don't usually have the disorder full on, they only display the starting of it and it escalates as they get older. I score high on any Bipolar tests or symptoms tests, I just do not experience it for long periods of time... yet, there is a high chance I will in the future, just like my mum. I couldn't be bothered typing much so I only said a couple of small things.
This is how I feel:
Feeling unusually “high” and optimistic OR extremely irritable
◾ Unrealistic, grandiose beliefs about one’s abilities or powers
◾ Sleeping very little, but feeling extremely energetic
◾ Talking so rapidly that others can’t keep up
◾ Racing thoughts; jumping quickly from one idea to the next
◾ Highly distractible, unable to concentrate
◾ Impaired judgment and impulsiveness
◾ Acting recklessly without thinking about the consequences
◾Feeling hopeless, sad, or empty.
◾ Irritability
◾ Inability to experience pleasure
◾ Fatigue or loss of energy
◾ Physical and mental sluggishness
◾ Appetite or weight changes
◾ Sleep problems
◾ Concentration and memory problems
◾ Feelings of worthlessness or guilt
◾ Thoughts of death or suicide

I experience almost all of the symptoms and my parent has it, if you research not many children/teens who are developing the disorder have longer episodes.
I don't have hallucinations or spend money. I have had depressive episodes that have lasted a week and I have had higher than usual states that have lasted a few days.
There is a chance it could be something else. Like I said I am getting assessed by a professional not you guys who don't know me, I just wanted to know what I asked.


I agree, when your mom has Bipolar and already sees symptoms in you than you are at very high risk developing Bipolar. :?
Is your mom Bipolar I or Bipolar II?

I know how it is to find out a new diagnosis about yourself, I jost got dx with ADD this week actually. My psychiatrist also has a Bipolar suspicion about me, but it's still not clear. Especially Bipolar II is hard to dx. My moodsymptoms could also be recurent depression and other stressors in addition. It's not easy to figur out what's going on sometimes, especially because there are now 100% reliable tests in psychiatry and the methods we use today are very subjective. :(


I am not sure what type my mum (Australian spelling of mom) has, but she had it really bad 3 years ago and it improved, she's a lot better now, I just want to find out what is wrong with my moods so I have support in the future if it gets bad and I can help it. Because I don't want to die just because I have a stupid mood swing. My mum's advice is when sad avoid pointy objects and pretty pills. I don't think I have the disorder just yet, but I scared I am developing it. My little sister has ADD, it's really hard for her, sorry to hear you have that. I was angry when I replied earlier too so sorry if I sounded mad.



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19 Oct 2013, 11:12 am

FireBird wrote:
I have autism, schizoaffective disorder, GAD and I don't remember what else. Right now I am having extreme problems with memory. I mean I don't know where I am at most of the time badly dissociating dont remember anything extremely annoying trouble understanding others can't comprehend somehow can spell though trouble reading i see different words feels like oxygen isn't entering my brain but tested it and it was normal but heart rate high. floating floating. what planet. went to the hospital earlier this year for 2 weeks for psychotic break with mania.


yeah, I understand what you're writing there. The same flow of mania has happened to me, on several occasions, which are not good, I can't and wouldn't want to recall them now. yet doctors and the like, pretend its not serious, when I know it is. I try to avoid stress as much as I can, but when I feel over-anxious, I have to find a situation where I can breathe and react normally again, for a brief moment the psychotic episode, has taken over your life. Most people don't bother going to the doctor with subtle signs of symptoms like these, because they fear they will be misread and ignored. I know I did, and deep down I knew I couldn't trust anyone again. The feelings were so bad, I thought I was coming down with a major illness and quietly thought I did. I couldn't tell anyone that would have been hard, the Asperger's assessment following on from diagnosis, was extremely traumatic, I do not know why but I just felt mainly inadequate as I have for most of my life and the (job centre) assessments and work trials etc, were so bad, that I didn't have any help but to put myself through more strain and more stress inducing more panic attacks upon the psychosis which eventually became manic, that I withdrew more and more into a shell. I didn't know who I was anymore. I wouldn't dream of becoming hospitalised, but these mood swings were crazy, like having a neurotic breakdown. I think whichever one you have determines if you will be hospitalised, but it has now affected my nervous system, and some if not most of my senses, like my motor skills are slower i've noticed over the years, not good, and my heart rate is affected somewhat by the pill but I am also changing over pill, so I don't know how I will feel then, but I hope it wont be long term.



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19 Oct 2013, 1:50 pm

I've been diagnosed first as bipolar and then as schizophrenic which I am currently taking medication for (used to be on anti-depressants/anti-anxiety and anti-psychotic medication until they changed it to just anti-psychotic). At my best I am social (or what I perceive as social), happy, upbeat and feel like I can do anything... sort of like having mania would be. At my worst I feel isolated, depressed, want nothing more than to stay in my room with the blinds down and neighbors far away from me; I can get sensitive and emotional over the smallest thing. I also feel a lot of the time like either the center of attention, i.e., like people are talking about me and how socially outcast I'm acting, or like I'm being overlooked.

Then again, I'm sure even without a diagnosis many people may still experience the above feelings at one point or another.



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24 Oct 2013, 8:36 am

Dani, your pattern of symptoms sounds a lot like me.

I have been officially diagnosed with Aspergers, ADHD, and Bipolar 1 disorder with ultradian cycling (3 different psychiatrists have independently confirmed the bipolar diagnosis, and the third one who is a specialist in Bipolar, holds a degree both in psychology and psychiatry, and has over 20 years experience in the field, has confirmed it to be ultradian cycling in my case). I have responded very positively to bipolar medication (so well in fact, my psychiatrist now considers me to be one of his success stories). There is no doubt in my mind about my diagnosis, and if I am bipolar then it must be ultradian as my mood swings can last anywhere between under an hour to several days long.

To those who are sceptical about ultradian cycling - yes it is a real thing, it has been researched and documented in peer reviewed papers, and is accepted by those specializing in bipolar - its contentiousness is only because it has only so very recently been recognized.

The uncontrollable laughter, the crying, the rapid really sudden switching, extreme optimism and extreme depression, irrationally wanting to hurt people when feeling angry for no reason (I have to fight with myself to keep it contained), not spending money - I get (or got) all of that. When high I tended to get extremely hyperactive, almost childlike, talked so fast nobody could understand what I was saying, and had sudden extreme bursts of energy, whereas when I swung the other way I completely lost all my energy - often in very sudden and extreme drops, would be filled with self-loathing and emptiness, want to hurt myself/want to die/lose all feeling, have a severe loss of physical energy and be unable to move.


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DeviousDani
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26 Oct 2013, 9:41 am

sunshower wrote:
Dani, your pattern of symptoms sounds a lot like me.

I have been officially diagnosed with Aspergers, ADHD, and Bipolar 1 disorder with ultradian cycling (3 different psychiatrists have independently confirmed the bipolar diagnosis, and the third one who is a specialist in Bipolar, holds a degree both in psychology and psychiatry, and has over 20 years experience in the field, has confirmed it to be ultradian cycling in my case). I have responded very positively to bipolar medication (so well in fact, my psychiatrist now considers me to be one of his success stories). There is no doubt in my mind about my diagnosis, and if I am bipolar then it must be ultradian as my mood swings can last anywhere between under an hour to several days long.

To those who are sceptical about ultradian cycling - yes it is a real thing, it has been researched and documented in peer reviewed papers, and is accepted by those specializing in bipolar - its contentiousness is only because it has only so very recently been recognized.

The uncontrollable laughter, the crying, the rapid really sudden switching, extreme optimism and extreme depression, irrationally wanting to hurt people when feeling angry for no reason (I have to fight with myself to keep it contained), not spending money - I get (or got) all of that. When high I tended to get extremely hyperactive, almost childlike, talked so fast nobody could understand what I was saying, and had sudden extreme bursts of energy, whereas when I swung the other way I completely lost all my energy - often in very sudden and extreme drops, would be filled with self-loathing and emptiness, want to hurt myself/want to die/lose all feeling, have a severe loss of physical energy and be unable to move.


Do they recognise ultradian rapid cycling Bipolar and do they diagnose it? Because it seems it is not really recognised as real and only the normal Bipolar is diagnosed

I understand how you feel, I actually feel like that a lot, I also noticed I have been getting urges to spend money (I feel guilty after).
So many people are so sceptical about different psychological conditions because there is no physical test or it can't physically be seen.
People also say Dissociative Identity Disorder isn't real but I have seen it and it's very real.
I know it's not normal to go from wanting and planning to die, to being extremely happy in the same day, regardless of whether I am Bipolar or not, I need to find out what is wrong so I can work with it :) and not all people with Bipolar have extreme depression and extreme mania, it could be mild on either side.
I get annoyed when people say "it's important we don't self diagnose" and they say oh it's just a mood swing etc. Because nobody knows you better than yourself and a psych will diagnose you based on what you tell them anyway. I know what I am experiencing is the symptoms of Bipolar, I'm not saying I have Bipolar.



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27 Oct 2013, 12:11 pm

Many of the symptoms of bipolar are nearly identical with the onset of hormone production at puberty - anyone who is in their teens needs to be aware that moodiness, changing energy levels, and confusion over the need to explore and become independent vs. the need to remain a child are part of growing up. Conflict, defiance of authority and fluctuating states of mind can be perfectly normal. Do not self diagnose! And DO NOT get caught up in the destructive gossip and misinformation of social media and pop culture. Find a medical doctor or psychiatrist to evaluate what's going on. Include your parents if possible!

I was diagnosed as bipolar nearly 30 years ago -



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27 Oct 2013, 4:16 pm

DeviousDani wrote:
sunshower wrote:
Dani, your pattern of symptoms sounds a lot like me.

I have been officially diagnosed with Aspergers, ADHD, and Bipolar 1 disorder with ultradian cycling (3 different psychiatrists have independently confirmed the bipolar diagnosis, and the third one who is a specialist in Bipolar, holds a degree both in psychology and psychiatry, and has over 20 years experience in the field, has confirmed it to be ultradian cycling in my case). I have responded very positively to bipolar medication (so well in fact, my psychiatrist now considers me to be one of his success stories). There is no doubt in my mind about my diagnosis, and if I am bipolar then it must be ultradian as my mood swings can last anywhere between under an hour to several days long.

To those who are sceptical about ultradian cycling - yes it is a real thing, it has been researched and documented in peer reviewed papers, and is accepted by those specializing in bipolar - its contentiousness is only because it has only so very recently been recognized.

The uncontrollable laughter, the crying, the rapid really sudden switching, extreme optimism and extreme depression, irrationally wanting to hurt people when feeling angry for no reason (I have to fight with myself to keep it contained), not spending money - I get (or got) all of that. When high I tended to get extremely hyperactive, almost childlike, talked so fast nobody could understand what I was saying, and had sudden extreme bursts of energy, whereas when I swung the other way I completely lost all my energy - often in very sudden and extreme drops, would be filled with self-loathing and emptiness, want to hurt myself/want to die/lose all feeling, have a severe loss of physical energy and be unable to move.


Do they recognise ultradian rapid cycling Bipolar and do they diagnose it? Because it seems it is not really recognised as real and only the normal Bipolar is diagnosed

I understand how you feel, I actually feel like that a lot, I also noticed I have been getting urges to spend money (I feel guilty after).
So many people are so sceptical about different psychological conditions because there is no physical test or it can't physically be seen.
People also say Dissociative Identity Disorder isn't real but I have seen it and it's very real.
I know it's not normal to go from wanting and planning to die, to being extremely happy in the same day, regardless of whether I am Bipolar or not, I need to find out what is wrong so I can work with it :) and not all people with Bipolar have extreme depression and extreme mania, it could be mild on either side.
I get annoyed when people say "it's important we don't self diagnose" and they say oh it's just a mood swing etc. Because nobody knows you better than yourself and a psych will diagnose you based on what you tell them anyway. I know what I am experiencing is the symptoms of Bipolar, I'm not saying I have Bipolar.


Yes it is real, it is recognized by professionals in the field, and I have been officially diagnosed with it by a psychiatrist. There are peer reviewed published journal articles about it in the literature for psychology. Many psycs either don't know about it or don't recognize it because it's rare. It's kind of like the outcome of increasing severity in the disorder - generally if people arent treated their mood swings tend to speed up over time (get shorter and more frequent). When I was younger I had longer mood episodes (up to a few weeks long) and they sped up over time until they reached the point where they were extreme, constant, and there was no period of normality in between them (experiencing several "switches" a day). Of course, once I reached this point I was unable to look after myself and had to be cared for. If my mother hadn't become my full time carer I would have been hospitalized for almost a year (according to my psychiatrist).


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Otherside
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28 Oct 2013, 9:46 am

gonewild wrote:
Many of the symptoms of bipolar are nearly identical with the onset of hormone production at puberty - anyone who is in their teens needs to be aware that moodiness, changing energy levels, and confusion over the need to explore and become independent vs. the need to remain a child are part of growing up. Conflict, defiance of authority and fluctuating states of mind can be perfectly normal. Do not self diagnose! And DO NOT get caught up in the destructive gossip and misinformation of social media and pop culture. Find a medical doctor or psychiatrist to evaluate what's going on. Include your parents if possible!

I was diagnosed as bipolar nearly 30 years ago -


Not really. When you're sleeping two hours a night for weeks on end and studying 24 hours or so at a time, before falling into a depressive slump and not really doing anything but sleeping, then that's more than teenage moodiness. But, I have come across a lot of people who claim to be "bipolar", and than give examples of normal teenage moodswings. If you take a long into something called Pediatric Bipolar Disorder, it's horryfying how a lot of psychiatrists like to label anyone with ups and downs or moodiness as "bipolar". Which pisses me off. A lot of people don't seem to understand bipolar these days. And there's to many diagnosis's that are similar.

Depression, contary to popular belief, has mood swings. There's also something called Borderline PD, which also has extreme mood swings, they're simply faster, sometimes several times a day and generally, in response to an event. Of course, you can have both bipolar and borderline.

I know it's hard to get annoyed when we say "don't self diagnose". We're not saying you don't have it. We're just fed up with the amount of people who claim to have it, have no knowledge of it and no symptoms, and seem to get on perfectly in life, which has led to people asking me (diagnosed bipolar) why I can't handle it, due to the person who claims to be manic when simply "happy." Mania is elevated mood and energy, not "happy". Perphaps you do have it if you can understand what I mean by that.

But none of us on here can ultimately diagnose you. But if you haven't already, look into Borderline PD. Bipolar and Borderline are so, so often mixed up.



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28 Oct 2013, 7:38 pm

Otherside wrote:
gonewild wrote:
Many of the symptoms of bipolar are nearly identical with the onset of hormone production at puberty - anyone who is in their teens needs to be aware that moodiness, changing energy levels, and confusion over the need to explore and become independent vs. the need to remain a child are part of growing up. Conflict, defiance of authority and fluctuating states of mind can be perfectly normal. Do not self diagnose! And DO NOT get caught up in the destructive gossip and misinformation of social media and pop culture. Find a medical doctor or psychiatrist to evaluate what's going on. Include your parents if possible!

I was diagnosed as bipolar nearly 30 years ago -


Not really. When you're sleeping two hours a night for weeks on end and studying 24 hours or so at a time, before falling into a depressive slump and not really doing anything but sleeping, then that's more than teenage moodiness. But, I have come across a lot of people who claim to be "bipolar", and than give examples of normal teenage moodswings. If you take a long into something called Pediatric Bipolar Disorder, it's horryfying how a lot of psychiatrists like to label anyone with ups and downs or moodiness as "bipolar". Which pisses me off. A lot of people don't seem to understand bipolar these days. And there's to many diagnosis's that are similar.

Depression, contary to popular belief, has mood swings. There's also something called Borderline PD, which also has extreme mood swings, they're simply faster, sometimes several times a day and generally, in response to an event. Of course, you can have both bipolar and borderline.

I know it's hard to get annoyed when we say "don't self diagnose". We're not saying you don't have it. We're just fed up with the amount of people who claim to have it, have no knowledge of it and no symptoms, and seem to get on perfectly in life, which has led to people asking me (diagnosed bipolar) why I can't handle it, due to the person who claims to be manic when simply "happy." Mania is elevated mood and energy, not "happy". Perphaps you do have it if you can understand what I mean by that.

But none of us on here can ultimately diagnose you. But if you haven't already, look into Borderline PD. Bipolar and Borderline are so, so often mixed up.


I find the best way to approach self-diagnosing is to ask yourself two questions before you begin:

1. are the symptoms you are experiencing severe enough to cause significant distress and significantly impair your functioning in daily life (e.g. losing your job, destroying your relationships/preventing you from having any, making you suicidal, interfering with your ability to do essential daily tasks, etc etc).

2. What is your motivation in seeking diagnosis? Generally, if a person really does have what constitutes a "disorder" (people can have the same symptoms without being "disordered") you would want to seek diagnosis in order to get help.

And the best way to approach self diagnosis is to consider it a stepping stone towards professional diagnosis (never settle for self diagnosis unless you have no other option and have to treat yourself because you can't afford professional help), and to be extremely conservative and thorough in your research. Never never rely on online tests because they are utterly useless and completely unreliable. Read published books, the DSM if you can get your hands on one, or online information from reputable websites.

I found that to be the best approach for me, at any rate.


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28 Oct 2013, 9:43 pm

edit


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28 Oct 2013, 9:45 pm

the way i see it if you self DX you don't have it or it's so mild it's not a problem.


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28 Oct 2013, 9:57 pm

aussiebloke wrote:
the way i see it if you self DX you don't have it or it's so mild it's not a problem.
. Well, it depends... for 2 out of 3 of my diagnosed disorders I self-diagnosed first because in each instance I knew there was something wrong and I like to figure out things myself as well as being told. Plus it decreases the risk of misdiagnosis as you know that if both you and the professional have reached the same conclusion then it is less likely to be wrong. I was correct both times because I was thorough. For bipolar I had 3 months of scattered bursts of reading the DSM and various websites during hypomanic swings. I didn't think it was bipolar straight away, in actuality I had no idea what the f*ck it was because I seemed to cycle through so many states so rapidly, but I knew it wasn't AS, and I knew that it was something because - aside from scattered hypomanic bursts, I was essentially non-functional (had to drop out of uni, quit jobs, move back in with my parents, be cared for by my mother like an invalid). I eventually figured it must be bipolar but either with extremely short swings or I was experiencing one prolonged mixed episode. A diagnosis of bipolar was confirmed by three different psychiatrists, the second one was originally convinced that the first one had misdiagnosed me and what I was actually experiencing was a mixture of ADHD, Aspergers, and depression symptoms, but she later changed her mind.


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28 Oct 2013, 10:05 pm

^^^^

well I "self DX as brain injured" it's funny how the 2 look similar EEGs I had where "normal" apart from unusual frontal lobe beta waves, a brain pattern of anxiety disorder.

I don't think it right to self dx and I think it's disrespectful to the people who suffer greatly with these problems :wink:


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28 Oct 2013, 10:06 pm

if you don't mind me asking what was the 3rd one you got wrong ?


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28 Oct 2013, 10:10 pm

The other one was ADHD, but in that instance I didn't self-diagnose before being professionally diagnosed.


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28 Oct 2013, 10:15 pm

cool , like autism another one of those made up disorders according to the rabble rousers :roll:


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